Each visa applicant at least 16 years of age must submit an original police certificate from the police authorities of the applicant's country of current residence if the applicant has resided there for at least six months after attaining the age of sixteen. Police certificates are also required from all other countries where the applicant has resided for at least one year after attaining the age of sixteen. A police certificate must also be obtained from the police authorities of any country where the applicant has been arrested for any reason, regardless of how long he or she lived there. Police certificates must cover the entire period of the applicant's residence in any area. A certificate issued by the police authorities in your current place of residence must be of recent date when presented to the consular officer. The term "police certificate" as used in this paragraph means a certification by appropriate police authorities stating what their records show concerning each applicant, including all arrests, the reasons for the arrests, and the disposition of each case for which there is a record. If specific questions arise regarding police certificates, please consult this office. Additional information about obtaining police certificates from specific countries can be found on the U.S. State Department website:
http://travel.state.gov/. Please click on the following link for instructions for obtaining a police certificate in Latvia (PDF - 173kb). The police clearance letters are valid for 12 months from the date of issuance.
